Legislation would repeal license renewal late fee

There have been some changes, and one proposed change to Ohio’s motor vehicle registration laws.

G. Patrick Kelley

There have been several changes to vehicle registration rules in the past two months that motorists may not know.

The newest — and possible the best news for consumers — is that state Rep. Stephen Dyer, D-Green, has co-sponsored legislation to repeal the $20 fee imposed last year for late Bureau of Motor Vehicle license and registrations renewals.

Dyer said the original legislation left some “wiggle room” for registrars to waive the fee in cases such as people who were out of the country, or for a boat trailer left unused for most of the year.

But the penalties are being administered by the letter of the law, Dyer said. “I ended up paying a late fee— but I was late,” he said.

Even people who have mailed in license-plate renewals on time sometimes were assessed the late fee if their paperwork wasn’t processed until after the deadline, he said.

REFUNDS INCLUDED

The legislation will get rid of the fee and “allow folks to get a refund,” Dyer said. The refund program will include a deadline to submit requests within six months of the effective date of the law. The requests must be accompanied by supporting evidence, such as a receipt.

The late-fee money was targeted for the Highway Patrol, but the loss doesn’t appear to be upsetting anyone, Dyer said. “They weren’t overly excited about the late-fee money,” he said. Once people began paying before the deadline, the late-fee income would drop, “so they didn’t figure it would be that stable of a fund, anyway,” he said.

The legislation, proposed by Rep. Debbie Newcomb, D-Conneaut, will go to a House committee, then to the House floor and then forwarded to the state Senate. “The process can take two days, and on other things it can never happen,” Dyer said.

IDENTITY PROTECTION

Motorists soon will be able to remove their home addresses from a portion of their vehicle registration certificates, an added safeguard for personal information. Legislation signed by Gov. Ted Strickland takes effect Aug. 9.

The portion of the registration certificate without the address will contain all vehicle information needed by law enforcement.

Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles said many motorists store their vehicle registration certificates in their vehicles, and the change will allow that without fear that their personal information could be stolen.

The vehicle owner’s home address will still appear on the main portion of the vehicle registration certificate for the customer’s records.

ATV LICENSES

Also, as of June 7, all purpose vehicles, also called all-terrain vehicles, are required to have a license plate and a registration sticker.

The license plate and sticker must be in plain sight. A three-year registration will cost $34.75 and expires Dec. 31 in the third year after the registration is issued.

An Ohio title certificate must be presented to register a vehicle.

No registration is required for all purpose vehicles that are used primarily for agricultural purposes when the owner qualifies for the current agricultural use valuation tax credit, unless it is to be used on any public land, trail, or right of way.